Saturday, June 23, 2012

Dears Reads - Please use the following letter as an example. Addresses given at end.

Attn. Ricardo Martinelli, Presidente de la República de Panamá.

Petition Letter to Panamanian Authorities

We the
undersigned persons are aware that the Panamanian Supreme Court eliminated the
classification for the Panama Bay Wildlife Refuge Wetland Site in May 2012. The
majority of this protected area entered the Ramsar List of Wetlands of
International Importance in 2003. Most of the site is composed of 85,000 ha of mangrove
forest and other wetland areas that stretch more than 100 km from Panama City east to the border of DariénProvince on Panama´s Pacific coast. This
protected area contains one of Panama´s largest contiguous mangrove forests. The
wetlands of PanamaBay are one of the most important
shorebird migration stopover sites in the Western Hemisphere. Between 1 and 2 million
shorebirds, comprising more than 30 species converge there each fall during
their annual migration. We consider that this action regarding the Panama Bay
Wildlife Refuge Wetland Site is an unprecedented attack on Panama´s National
System of Protected Areas and Western Hemisphere mangroves. We are also aware the
Panamanian officials have stated their intentions to promote parts of the area
for coastal tourism and real estate development. These land uses are inappropriate
for a coastal mangrove ecosystem.

The coastal wetlands of PanamaBay provide numerous ecosystem
services to Panama and its peoples that need to be
protected and maintained. They protect the shoreline against coastal erosion
and storm events and are also important in mitigating coastal flooding. Mangrove
forests also are sinks for carbon and help slow increasing levels of
atmospheric greenhouse gases. With global climate change and sea level rise,
the importance of these mangroves will only increase for Panama in the coming years. PanamaBay mangroves are nursery areas for
various species of shrimp that constitute an important economic resource in the
Gulf of
Panama
and generate significant export earnings for Panama.

Mangroves are important centers
for biological diversity, and PanamaBay is recognized as a particularly
important site for migratory shorebirds. Additionally, PanamaBay mangroves provide livelihoods for
thousands of coastal persons in small coastal communities from Juan Díaz to
Chimán. Given the actions of your government and the importance of PanamaBay mangroves, we request that
Panamanian authorities:

1. Act to protect their country´s natural resources and
fulfill their responsibilities as the stewards of Panama´s National System of
Protected Areas,

2. Respect their Nation´s obligations under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and

Many thanks to you all for joining in the campaign letter to the Thai Prime Minister in support of the Thai land reform movements.

We can update you with the very welcome and unexpected news that the Supreme Court decided to drop the charges against two members of the community land reform movement, Mr Rangsan Saensongkhaew and Mr Seubsakun Kijnukorn. This decision overturns the decision of the Court of Appeal which had upheld the original conviction of inciting others to break the law and sentenced the accused to 4 years in prison.

However, the conviction of Mr Praweis Panpa, from the village of Prabaht, Pasang District, Lamphun province on charges of encroachment, was upheld by the Supreme Court. His sentence was reduced from 6 years to 1 year in prison.

Their case achieved a high profile and the action you participated in helped to draw additional attention to the issues behind the case.

However as indicated earlier, this court case is just one amongst many in Thailand, and the struggles of the Thai farmers, indigenous peoples, slum dwellers and fisherfolk trying to assert, recover and reclaim their rights to natural resources continue.

The letter that was delivered to the Prime Minister's office and to the Office for the Institution of Community Title office on 31st (attached) in the end has attracted the support of 135 organisations and individuals and is posted on several websites. You are encouraged to link to our page (see below) or to post the pdf version of the letter on your website. Photos are available, please contact me for these.

We will let you know if there may be any other urgent appeals to extend support and solidarity to the Thai and other land reform movements.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

We are the
recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize. We have been threatened. We have
been tortured. We have been captured. We died by industrial poisons in our
blood. We have been killed. We are the recipients of the Goldman Environmental
Prize. We are in 81 countries. We are local activists. We are national
ambassadors. We are indigenous peoples. We are ministers of the environment. We
are women. We are men. We are elderly. We are young.

For over two decades the
Goldman Prize has honored us by the great risks we have taken to protect the
environment. Now we ask you to risk. It is your duty to participate in the "Earth
Summit" in Rio de Janeiro and lead to action in defense of
biodiversity. The Earth Summit presents a profound opportunity to strengthen
our commitment global protection of the planet, which was recognized 20 years
ago in the historic "Summit Rio Earth-1992 ".

Since then, the peoples
of the world have preserved endangered species from extinction, preserved
fragile lands and developed alternatives to some of our more destructive
practices. Communities have repeatedly won major battles. But civil society is
leading conservation efforts with people like us who are putting our lives and
wellbeing at risk for environmental
protection. Now we urgently ask that you please take the lead in protecting the
planet we share, for the good of future generations, I urge you to participate
in the Earth Summit to take a risk, as we have taken to defend the Earth”.